Downing is at her best here, with this twisted tale of murder and deceit at an expensive prep school. Everyone is a suspect and they've all got secrets--Teddy, the English teacher; Zach, the over-achiever; Fallon, the new substitute. For Your Own Good feels like reading the juiciest gossip about everyone you hated back in high school.

This one, unfortunately, just wasn’t for me. I adored the writing style, as I always do with Downing, but the characters weren’t my cup of tea and the ultimate direction of the plot fell flat.

This may be my favorite of her books so far! It was engaging and kept you guessing and the elite prep school setting was a nice change from the usual husband/wife thriller dynamic. Every time I thought all of the “evil” (or morally gray at best) characters were revealed, another came out of the woodwork.

I like my thrillers to come with... well, a thrill, you know? Unfortunately, FOR YOUR OWN GOOD didn't do that for me. The author spells everything out plainly along the way, leaving very little room for the reader to feel any real sense of tension throughout. This is also told from alternating points of view, but the alternations seem a bit random, if I'm being honest, and the lack of a central character (beyond the school & the bad guy) left a bit to be desired.

“Being loved is one thing, being hated is another, but there’s nothing worse than being ignored.”
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Downing does it again. I can't help but wonder where she gets these incredible storylines from. From start to finish, "For Your Own Good" was a how?, why?, what? kind of read. What I love about this particular book was that we knew who the bad guy was from the get go. This is a favorite plot of mine because I love to see how she or he plans to get away with their devious actions.
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I am eager to see what twisted tale Downing has in store for her readers next. Her books always have so many players at play, you never know what’s going to unfold!

Samantha Dowing has been an author I keep an eye out for ever since I read My Lovely Wife. Her stories have not disappointed me yet, and For Your Own Good did not deviate from that trend. Alternating points of view fluidly unraveled a twisty plot and kept me guessing on how it would end until the last page.

This was pretty cheesy and a book about really terrible people. But the terrible people weren’t even enjoyable. They were just gross humans and annoying. Didnt love this.

This is not what I expected. The book is full of twist and turns that kept me fully involved in the story. Teddy is the headmaster of the elite boarding school, Belmont Academy. He is a little jealous of the students that attend as their parents can pay the price for their lack of appreciation for a good education. There are a lot of characters to keep track of and most are interesting and easy to remember. There are many points of view from the various characters. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I have been on a kick of reading prep school mysteries, and this one was really great.
The seedy underbelly of a prestigious school and the rivalries and jealousies amongst staff and students made this one very intriguing.
The way that this one twists and turns at the end keeps you on your toes, and engaged to the last page.

As the Teacher of the Year at an elite private school, Teddy Crutcher has even bigger accomplishments in sight and he'll do anything to reach them. Samantha Downing delivers another amazing thriller, full of interesting characters and messed up morals. I can't wait to see what she comes out with next!

wow this was wild.

i truly did not know what to expect with this book. i read and enjoyed samantha downing's debut, my lovely wife. but i passed on her second book, he started it, because it wasn't getting the best reviews and it just didn't really seem like my thing. but when her third book (this one) came out, i was instantly intrigued. and then when it started getting fantastic reviews, i knew i needed to pick it up. and i was not disappointed at all. this was a wild ride from start to finish and i enjoyed every second of it.

i don't really know how to describe the plot of this book to you. mostly because there is a lot going on here and there are a lot characters who i would consider main characters. but the main main character is a man named teddy crutcher, who just won teacher of the year at an elite private school in new england. on the surface, teddy seems like a nice, normal man who loves his job. but as the book starts digging into him a little more, you quickly realize there is more to this man that anyone could imagine.

this book was fun, fast-paced, and just a super enjoyable read. you do have to suspend disbelief quite a bit in this one because there is just a lot going on and some of it does border on the absolutely ridiculous. but if you're able to put the plausibility aside, this is one i think anyone could enjoy. it rides the edge of cheesy and suspenseful very well. i hate when thrillers (or books in general, really) are cheesy without meaning to be. but with this book, you could tell the author was really leaning into it and i loved that.

the best part of this book for me was the fact that the pacing was so break-neck that i never really had a chance to stop and form any real theories. a lot of the mystery is put on the table for your for most of the book. but motives are where a lot of the big reveals come and that is something i found so fascinating and so interesting about the story.

overall, this was just a good time. i've been having a shit reading month in october so it was nice to read something that just kept me completely entertained. also, the audiobook was fantastic! i would super recommend this one to pretty much anyone because i think it really does tick a lot of boxes. and i will definitely read anything this author writes in the future. i may even go back and read he started it at some point!

This is quite a twisty tale told from multiple POV. Because of the multiple POV, we know for the most part who is doing what and who is involved in the deaths of the teachers, but we don't always know the why. Plus, there are a few other mysteries floating around such as where is Teddy's wife? Is she alive? Who is poisoning the students and staff?

This book is filled with many unlikable characters. I'm not sure too many of them had redeeming qualities. The school is filled with privileged students that don't usually want for anything, faculty that are former students, and helicopter parents. All except for Teddy who feels somewhat snubbed and feels like it is his place to teach the kids a lesson, especially the ones that he thinks are cheaters, whether they truly are or not. As I said, not many likable characters.

The story has a fast pace and engaged me from page one. I was curious how things were going to turn out and as some truths were revealed, it was quite a jaw-dropper for me. We may know the truth, but is it really the whole truth? The characters don't reveal everything at once, it is handed to us pieces at a time and just when you thought you might like a character, you are broadsided with another piece of evidence that could sway you the other way.

I have enjoyed this author's books and this one is no exception. If you are looking for a psychological thriller, you won't be disappointed.

We give this book 5 paws up.

If you like character driven suspense & unlikeable characters, this is for you. If you're looking for something fast paced and thrilling, maybe reach for something else. What I'll say is this: I've read far too many books about elite prep schools and this one finally does something different. No rinse, wash, repeat here.

I love everything by Samantha Downing! This book was different than her past reads, as it was set in a school rather than within families, but it did not disappoint. The thrills were nuanced and exciting!

For your own good was a thoroughly enjoyable thriller. I loved everything from the mordern dark academia vibes in a prestigious private school to the unlikable but well-written characters. Downing did a great job making the story move forward, but it was a bit of a slow burn at the same time with less mystery than your typical thriller. This worked for me, far more than Downing's first novel and I can't wait to see what she writes next.
Many thanks to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the advance copy.

Thank you Berkley for a gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Samantha Downing continues to be one of my favorite mystery/thriller authors and I don't read many of them! She weaves an intriguing story filled with suspense and surprising twists! I definitely did not see some of them coming. I loved how she brought the reader into the mind of a psycho who killed while justifying it was for the greater good. Her books are so addicting and will keep you turning the pages. I can't wait to see the TV series!

Books that are set in high school, especially private schools are one of my favorite settings. I love the atmosphere and seeing what rich kids can get up too, especially when they have rich parents to get them out of trouble. For Your Own Good was a good time! The teacher, Teddy, was definitely a favorite. He was just so evil! The writing was fast paced and it was one crazy thing after the other! I can't wait to read more from Samantha Downing.

I really like Samantha Downing, but this book was not my favorite. I thought the storyline felt a little forced, and I am used to a good page-turner from Downing. I was eager to turn the pages so I could be finished on this one. The characters were meh and under developed, and I felt the revenge aspect was a bit predictable.

Have you ever been duped by a character before? I’m still mulling over my rollercoaster of emotions in reading Samantha Downing’s latest FOR YOUR OWN GOOD. Teddy is a teacher at the prestigious Belmont High. We see the world through his eyes, the mundane monotony of his everyday life, the loathing that he has for some of his students and fellow teachers, the secrets that he’s hiding. And, while he’s immediately pegged as the bad guy, I didn’t think of him as such. I saw myself agreeing with him, yes, that person is overbearing, yes that kid is too cocky. Don’t get me started on the righteousness of the parents! I felt bad for Teddy and did not see him as a bad guy, when he clearly is, especially when people begin to die.

Belmont High is dealing with a scandal of sorts. A potential murder of a beloved mother, who was also in charge of a PTA-like group. The victim? Her daughter. Secrets come out about the mother/daughter duo, the texts that the daughter sent friends hoping her mother would die, the constant pressure that the mother put on her daughter to get into Yale, and only Yale. But, was this girl driven to kill her own mother?

Where does Teddy fit into all of this? Well, he’s the quiet observer, silently judging everyone. He’s keeping secrets. But is he a killer? The aspect that I found most appealing about this book was the inner workings within a private institution, the gossip, the drama, the juicy secrets. Narrations ping ponged back and forth between students, teachers and faculty. Everyone had a story to tell and it wove beautifully into the next one. It brought me back to my own private school days, when I was completely oblivious to the goings on of teachers and faculty. It makes me wonder if maybe I missed something…

This book is absolutely AMAZING!! I will forever stalk Samantha Downings books!! I had the extreme pleasure of interviewing her, and learning about her writing process. Incredible talent.